Louis Pergaud (22 January 1882 – 8 April 1915) was a French novelist,
war poet, and soldier, whose principal works were known as "Animal Stories" due to his featuring animals of the
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...
in lead roles. His most notable work was the novel ''
La Guerre des boutons'' (1912) (English: ''The War of the Buttons''). It has been reprinted more than 30 times, and is included on the French high-school curriculum.
[Tobias Grey, "Waging War(s) of the Buttons in France"](_blank)
''Wall Street Journal,'' 15 September 2011, accessed 2 November 2012
A schoolteacher by profession, Pergaud came into conflict with
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
authorities over the implementation of the
Third French Republic
The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 194 ...
's separation of Church and State enacted in 1905. In 1907 Pergaud chose to move to Paris to pursue his literary career. Pergaud's prose works are often considered to reflect the influences of
Realist,
Decadent and
Symbolist movements. He was killed at age 33 in April 1915, by French fire while in a field hospital behind German lines; he was serving with the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
near
Marchéville-en-Woëvre during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
.
''The War of the Buttons'' has been adapted five times as a film, four times in French productions and once in an Irish one. It was adapted most recently in France in two films released the same week in September 2011. Both were set during the twentieth century.
Early life
Pergaud was born on 22 January 1882, in
Belmont, Doubs. Son of a republican schoolmaster, Louis was encouraged to excel in his studies. His academic successes earned him scholarships permitting him to continue school with the intention of following in his father's footsteps. In 1901 he completed his studies at the École Normale in
Besançon
Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerla ...
.
Marriage and family
After a year of teaching and a year of military service, in 1903, Pergaud married his first wife. They lived in Durnes, where he was teaching again. After moving to
Landresse for a time, Pergaud separated from his wife in 1907 and moved to Paris.
They later divorced and he married a second time.
Career
Louis Pergaud accepted his first teaching position in
Durnes
Durnes () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Doubs department
The following is a list of the 571 communes of the Doubs department of France.
...
. After a year, he was called to complete a year of military service with the 35th infantry regiment stationed in
Belfort
Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terr ...
. According to
Ian Higgins, "National service in 1902-03 did nothing to cure him of his
anti-militarism."
In the fall of 1903, Pergaud returned to his post in Durne.
In 1905 Pergaud transferred with his wife to
Landresse. Initially, life in this small, isolated village was difficult.
According to Ian Higgins, "The predominantly Catholic villagers of Landresse were hostile to their local teacher, by definition a servant of the Republic, and who never went to
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...
. Feeling cut off in an alien environment, tired of constantly battling against suspicion, ill-feeling, innuendo, and accusation, Pergaud resigned his post and went to Paris to work in an office."
[ Tim Cross (1988), ''The Lost Voices of World War I'', page 283.]
In 1907, Pergaud left Landresse and his wife, for
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
, where he joined
Leon Deubel, a longtime friend and inspiration. In Paris, Pergaud suffered through extreme poverty, even as he worked as a clerk and then as a schoolteacher, in an effort to realize his dream of literary success.
Works
His earliest works were collections of poetry that were published at his own expense through a literary review called ''
Le Beffroi.'' The first collection, entitled ''
L'Aube,'' appeared in 1904. The second, ''
L'Herbe d'Avril,'' was published in 1908. In 1910 ''
Mercure de France'' published a collection of Pergaud's short stories under the title ''De Goupil à Margot''. This work was awarded the prestigious
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...
, which led to some national recognition.
A second collection of short stories about animals, ''La Revanche du corbeau'' appeared in 1911. His novel, ''La Guerre des boutons,'' described below, was published in 1912. In 1913 Pergaud published the novel, ''Le Roman de Miraut'', in which an animal had the leading role. He wrote numerous other short stories about the people and animals of his native Franche-Comté, which would be published posthumously.
In 1912 ''La Guerre des boutons'' was published, a tale of a play-war between the small boys of two neighbouring villages. Those "killed" would have their buttons removed as trophies before being sent home. The novel begins humorously, but becomes more sinister as the distinctions between play and real violence among the boys become blurred. It has been described as having a "touch of ''
Lord of the Flies
''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...
''" in tone, although the book substantially pre-dates that novel by
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...
. Pergaud's works remain popular in France; ''La Guerre des boutons'' has been reprinted more than thirty times. It is included in the French high school curriculum for literature.
World War I
Pergaud had tried to register as a
pacifist, but he was
conscripted into the French Army at the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
. He had been placed in the active reserve following his national service twelve years before. In this capacity he served in the
Battle of Lorraine during the German invasion of France, and subsequently on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
.
On 7 April 1915, Pergaud's regiment attacked the
Imperial German Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the ...
's trenches near
Fresnes-en-Woëvre
Fresnes-en-Woëvre (, literally ''Fresnes in Woëvre'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Meuse department
*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine
Lorraine Regional Natural Park ( ...
, during which Pergaud was shot and wounded. He fell into
barbed wire
A close-up view of a barbed wire
Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is ...
, where he became trapped. Some hours later, German soldiers rescued him and other wounded, taking the French soldiers to a temporary
field hospital
A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...
behind German lines. On the morning of 8 April, Pergaud and other
POWs were killed by
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while e ...
from a French artillery barrage that destroyed the hospital.
Adaptations of his works
''La Guerre des boutons'' has been developed as a film five times:
*
La Guerre des Gosses (1936, France) by
Jacques Daroy
* ''
La Guerre des Boutons'' (1962, France), black-and-white, directed by
Yves Robert. It was released in a restored version in 2011.
* ''
War of the Buttons'' (1994, Ireland), by
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...
* ''
War of the Buttons'' (2011, France), directed by
Yann Samuell and produced by
Marc du Pontavice. (This version is set during the 1960s and the backdrop of the
Algerian War
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
.)
* ''
War of the Buttons'' (2011, France), directed by
Christophe Barratier
Christophe Barratier (born 17 June 1963) is a French film producer, director and screenwriter, and lyricist.
Early life and education
Barratier is the son of the actress Eva Simonet and M. Barratier. He is the nephew of the film director Jacque ...
and produced by
Thomas Langmann. (This version is set during World War II and the German
Occupation of France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied ...
)
Legacy and honors
A Paris society, ''Les Amis de Louis Pergaud,'' is devoted to study of him and his works.
References
* Cross, Tim, ''The Lost Voices of World War I'', Bloomsbury Publishing, Great Britain: 1988.
External links
*
*
*
*
''"Vive nous!": les fondements nationalistes de la Guerre des boutons'' a Master's thesis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pergaud, Louis
1882 births
1915 deaths
People from Doubs
French poets
20th-century French novelists
French military personnel killed in World War I
Prix Goncourt winners
French World War I poets
French male poets
French male novelists
French male short story writers
French short story writers
20th-century short story writers
20th-century French male writers
French educators
French pacifists
Friendly fire incidents of World War I
Military personnel killed by friendly fire